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I didn't see any caribou or even tracks when I drove up a few weeks ago. I'll be headed up again in a couple of weeks, so hopefully the bou moved into the Haul Road area. It looks like the bulk of the herd could be wintering in a different area this year. You'll probably need to get north of Coldfoot to get to the bou, and I believe it is open year round. January and February are the only months I have not shot a caribou up there, so I'm hoping to get one on the next run. I always post what I see on the bowhunting forum, so keep tabs there if you want an update.

I have not at negative thirty but getting some neoprene gloves and a heater. This hunt will be the first if many challenges what else should I be prepared for?

Plan to work fast if you get something. The more you can get done while there is still some heat given off by the animal, the easier it will be on you doing the work. Once it cools down/freezes, it makes things much less enjoyable since you have to wear more clothing which can be a pain to work in, especially if you are trying to keep at least some of it free of blood. I have gotten a moose before in cold weather and it was no issue at all to work on since the animal was warm the whole time. Then again, I have also gotten a moose where I thought it was a good idea to wait until the morning to finish it up since it was a driving snowstorm and dark when I was starting on it. That was miserable in the morning when EVERYTHING was cold. It was much better in the dark and blowing snow when I could still use bare hands that would stay warm from the meat. Hindsight is 20/20.

Bring a couple layers of clothes that you don't mind getting bloody. It's never fun when it's -30 and you realize that all you have is your nice hunting/outdoor gear on that you want to keep clean, yet you have to reach up into the animal to trim some parts loose.

Ive heard of caribou hunts up the haul road from fairbanks in March, but what about mid Febuary? Seriously getting ancy. Need to hunt. Is this insane or worth the thought?

The last few weeks, the weather has been brutal on the haul road. Last week the wind was so strong outside of Prudhoe that it blew a truck pulling a loaded van over on it's side. 90 mph wind gusts. Atigun pass has been real windy with the road crews barely able to keep up during the day. When they shut down for the night, the pass usually closes in within a few hours. I would really think twice before heading up in February.

Don't use neoprene gloves unless you plan to have butcher gloves or some thin cotton gloves under them. I've done numerous animals in -20 to -40 temps and this combo works great to keep your hands warm, and keeps them clean. I bring several pairs of both in case a neoprene glove breaks, then I can just finish with the butcher glove on and toss it in a bag or in the back of the truck when I'm finished. The neoprene gloves might get hard and brittle so I either stuff them against my skin, or put them in my mouth to warm them up to put them on.

The last few weeks, the weather has been brutal on the haul road. Last week the wind was so strong outside of Prudhoe that it blew a truck pulling a loaded van over on it's side. 90 mph wind gusts. Atigun pass has been real windy with the road crews barely able to keep up during the day. When they shut down for the night, the pass usually closes in within a few hours. I would really think twice before heading up in February.

I worked on the slope for a couple years and have hunted at that time of year. What you are proposing is no regular hunt. Just realize that if anything goes wrong you will truly be in a survival situation, so go prepared. A friend had the fuel filter in his truck freeze up from too much water in the fuel during a November Haul Road trip. If it wasn't for a friendly trucker that drove by during a snowstorm he would have been stranded. I recommend a sat phone in case you need to call for help.

Dakota I get the feeling you are a little anxious to get some hunting in and I can understand that. Just don't let your anxiousness get the best of you. From reading some of your posts you seem like a good guy and I really don't want to read about ya in the paper if you get my meaning. When your up there don't take any unnecessary risks as its just not worth it. Go have a great hunt take enough gear that if you had to you don't have to rely on supplemental heat and can wait out any breakdowns or bad weather.. Have a blast man and take lots of pics

Well I had to make the trip. No bou but what a fun adventure going to head back up in april. in fact i Think this was the first hunting trip in ak where nothing went wrong. I'm usually stuck somewhere or fishing for my rifle in some weird river but no adverse events to report on this one

Well I had to make the trip. No bou but what a fun adventure going to head back up in april. in fact i Think this was the first hunting trip in ak where nothing went wrong. I'm usually stuck somewhere or fishing for my rifle in some weird river but no adverse events to report on g this one